Since I started my virtual story-times, there are now about a million people doing the same. Numbers of viewers have dropped quite a lot, and I’m gonna take a break. In the meantime, I recorded this drawing lesson for SimonKids for Bike & Trike. Get some paper and a pencil and have fun!
Archive for the ‘events’ Category
Friday, July 14th, 2017
I first attended the Princeton Children’s Book Festival about three or four years ago and thought it was just terrific. Four big tents full of people reading, writing, illustrating, and especially buying books. I was set up next to Jon Scieszka where we were writing our names in copies of Frank Einstein, and I’ve been back each year since.
I was especially pleased when they asked me to make the poster for this year’s festival, which will be on September 23. I’d seen the posters that Peter Brown, Dan Yaccarino, and Greg Pizzoli made, and figured I better work hard on this one.
So… it’s time to reveal this thing. I’m also posting a few sketches from the process that led to the final design. Please enjoy thanks, and I hope to see you on September 23 in Princeton, NJ. Thanks to Susan Conlon, Caroline Quinones, and Tim Quinn for the opportunity and the help throughout the process.
Tags: festival, new books, poster, ppl, princeton, reading
Posted in childrens books, design, events, illustrations, new work | No Comments »
Friday, February 24th, 2017
On March 7, I leave the comfortable environs of Philadelphia to travel across the USA in my pajamas with Mac Barnett, talking about and writing our names in copies of Noisy Night, our book that is being released by Roaring Brook Press the same day.
The tour begins in Plainville MA, at An Unlikely Story. We make our way back down to Philadelphia on March 9 (my birthday!), where we’ll be at my home away from home, Childrens Book World, in Haverford at 4:30pm. On the evening of March 10, we’ll be at the Takoma Park Library in Takoma Park, MD. On March 11, we’re at Politics & Prose in Washington DC at 10am. We then leave the east coast and head to beautiful downtown Kalamazoo, MI, to Book Bug for an afternoon party. Lastly, we go way out west to Santa Cruz, CA, to the Bookshop Santa Cruz at 4pm for the final event of the tour. Since I love Santa Cruz, I’m staying a few extra days to ride bikes and eat tacos.
Hope to see your face along the way!
Here’s the website for Noisy Night.
And here’s the trailer video for the book.
Tags: An Unlikely Story, book tour, BookBug, Bookshop Santa Cruz, children's book world, mac barnett, Macmillan, Politics and Prose, Roaring Brook Press
Posted in childrens books, events, headlines, new work, Noisy Night, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, September 1st, 2016
You’re invited.
Tags: Manayunk, publication party, Spiral Bookcase
Posted in childrens books, events, Tinyville Town, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, August 18th, 2016
Received an email this morning that Tinyville Town Gets to Work got into the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. I’d forgotten to enter the show entirely this year (I know, how do I even make a living at this?) but Abrams entered the book for me, and it was one of three Abrams books that was selected. I couldn’t be happier.
My books have been in a few times in the past. The first two Everything Goes books got in, as did the fourth Brownie & Pearl book and The Boy Who Cried Alien. It’s been a few years for me, however, and it just makes my week that Gets to Work will be at the show in October.
We have to choose one spread to hang. These are my favorites. Thoughts? (click to enlarge)
Tags: Society of Illustrators, SOI, The Original Art Show
Posted in awards, childrens books, events, headlines, illustrations, press, Tinyville Town, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 29th, 2015
The Eastern PA SCBWI chapter asked me to speak and give a presentation talk at their Illustrator Day event on September 12. I’ll be talking about how I took an odd little manuscript by Mac Barnett and turned it into a picture book that will be published next year by Macmillan. I’ll also be signing books and standing around looking awkward.
If you are an illustrator within driving distance to Yardley, PA, I hope to see you there.
More info on the SCBWI website here.
From “Noisy Night,” by Mac Barnett
Posted in childrens books, events, new work, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, April 11th, 2014
The Children’s Book Council asked me to make a video for their Children’s Book Week 2014. They asked author/illustrator Amy Ignatow as well, and she and I had the bright idea to collaborate. We filmed the thing on a crummy-weather Saturday back in February, and today it’s released to the anxious masses.
Surprise cameo and good music as well.
You can see more Children’s Book Week Champion videos here.
Tags: Amy Ignatow, CBC, Children's Book Council, Children's Book Week Champion, David Wiesner
Posted in childrens books, events, movies, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013
So today is publication day for third and final Everything Goes book, called By Sea. I had a nice juicy blog post with lots of pictures and sketches lined up to post today but today is also the day that my trusty seven-year-old Mac decided to go belly up. Even worse, it happened on the second day of my book tour while preparing to give a presentation to 75 kids at the wonderful Washington DC book store Politics & Prose.
So I improvised, doing a bit of an analog song and dance, and am now posting this via my phone while on the way to Raleigh NC, trying to figure out what to do next. Going to the Raleigh Apple Store and getting a new laptop is a strong option.
In the meantime, today is publication day for Everything Goes By Sea and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Stay tuned and I’ll get that blog post up ASAP.
Tags: brick, macbook pro, tour
Posted in childrens books, events, Everything Goes, rants, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sunday, October 20th, 2013
In about an hour or so I’ll be leaving for the Everything Goes By Sea book tour. I’m going to Washington DC, Alexandria VA, Raleigh NC, Chapel Hill NC, and Decatur GA, returning to Philadelphia next Saturday. I had a great time last year in Chicago IL and Oxford MS, and I suspect this time it’ll be just as interesting.
I noticed that I’m traveling via train, car, and airplane, so I suppose it’s sort of ironic that this is for By Sea. Of course, I lobbied for a cruise tour to Hawaii and the Caribbean, but I lost that fight.
Here’s the itinerary:
Monday Oct 21, Alexandria VA
4:00pm Hooray for Books.
1555 King Street, Alexandria
Tuesday Oct 22, Washington DC
10:00am Politics and Prose,
5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC
3522 Wade Ave, Raleigh NC
Wednesday Oct 23, Raleigh NC
4:00pm Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh
Thursday Oct 24, Chapel Hill NC
10:30pm Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill NC
752 Martin Luther King Blvd
Friday Oct 25, Decatur GA
5:00pm Little Shop of Stories, Chapel Hill NC
133A East Court Square, Decatur GA
If you’re anywhere around these shops, please come by and say hello!
Publication day for Everything Goes by Sea is Tuesday Oct 22, so watch this space for more about that!
Tags: Everything Goes By Sea, Flyleaf Books, Hooray for Books, Little Shop of Stories, Politics and Prose, Quail Ridge Books, tour
Posted in childrens books, events, Everything Goes, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 5th, 2013
I just realized that I haven’t posted anything here since January 10. The entire (but not so long) month of February sailed by and I have been absent. So before we begin talking about school visits, I should mention that my lack of visibility here can be attributed to the lateness of Everything Goes: By Sea and my current crazy rush to get it done. Breaking my hand on Christmas morning didn’t do any wonders for my schedule, and as soon as the cast came off in February I more or less locked myself in my studio and went back to drawing. I’ll write more about this progress later.
Another relevant thing is the “Sketch of the Day” album I’ve been posting on my Facebook page. I realized I should use my Facebook page more than I do (kinda like this blog!) and this is a fun and easy way to do it. If you don’t already, go “like” the page and follow the sketches.
Okay so to the meat and potatoes. I visited the schools of Southampton Township, NJ, last Friday. I showed and talked about my drawings and Everything Goes to about 400 students over the course of the day. I might have written this here (or elsewhere) before, but visiting schools is one of those mental-health moments that is so good for people like me. Most people take mental-health days from work and stay home. Since I work alone in my studio 99% of the time, it’s great to go somewhere and be adored. I hate the morning and afternoon rush-hour traffic (how do you commuters stand it? it’s insane!) but it’s worth it once I’m at the school.
So I’m just gonna post a bunch of pictures of the visit and the day, and let you see what the students and teachers made. Thanks to Jacquie Daddato for having me out to Southampton and thanks to all the teachers, staff and students for making it such a great day.
One of three full-house presentations.
That guy.
I signed more than 300 books!
And here are a bunch of drawings that they made inspired by Everything Goes.
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